Chapter 38

Chapter 34-Gurleen

It had taken one question from a near stranger for her to break down. The tears refused to stop,gushing like a waterfall,while strangled sobs struggled to escape her.The hollowness within, threatened to envelope her in a mound of darkness from which she couldn't fathom an escape.She was drowning in her own sorrow without a buoy.

Suddenly she felt a pair of familiar arms envelope her.She stiffened involuntarily.Half expecting him to retract ,she was surprised to find herself still wrapped in a cocoon of comfort.He slowly pulled her down to join him on the floor and wrapped his arms tighter as her sobs grew more frantic.She clung to him as he let her cry her eyes out.They sat still under the gazebo until the sobs died and she stopped shaking.

He rhythmically stroked her hair,not uttering a single word as if he understood the importance of silence.At point she stopped crying yet he still held on.She counted till three before pulling away.To her surprise,he didn't let go.She found herself staring up at him,his arms still around her and hers on his chest.His eyes were unreadable,filled with some unspeakable emotion.

He raised a hand and tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear,almost ghosting her skin reverently.He traced the tear tracks on her face from her eyes till her chin;his thumb rough and calloused,before bringing his forehead to touch hers.She closed her eyes at the contact and relished the warmth.There was no desire to flee or drown.She just wanted that moment to remain frozen in time.

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"Will you tell me what's wrong Gurleen?"

The spell broke and she found herself scrambling to stand,adjusting her dupatta.She felt her skin burn as she turned bright red,recollecting all that had happened.He looked as embarrassed as she felt as he cleared his throat and stepped away.

"I'm sorry for overstepping my boundaries.I shouldn't have probed you as such.I understand that we're not close enough to share our troubles with each other but I couldn't bear to see you despondent.I really want to apologise ,i shouldn't have done that."

With that he just walked off,leaving her behind,rather confused.

She stared at his retreating back ,almost at a loss.

Have I done anything wrong?,she wondered.

His change in behaviour was startling and rather sudden. Granted that they were not exactly close enough to share their secrets with each other,it was extremely nice of him to comfort her as she had cried,even if they had gotten a bit too close.After a moment of contemplation,she ran after him but he was nowhere to be seen.Resigned,she returned to the lohri bonfire and joined her Parjaai,who immediately clocked that something was wrong.

"Gurleen,what is going on?Why won't you tell me anything?"

Her Parjaai whispered.

She didn't know what to say as her mind was filled with a buzz.As her thoughts started to race,they started taking a more drastic turn .

As far as she knew,they were close acquaintances who were well on their way to becoming close friends.Yet she had managed to ruin it all with her outburst.

Had he gotten tired of her as well?

First her birth parents,then her mummy,then her veerji and parjaai,and now, finally him.

Perhaps she was destined to live in solitude for the rest of her life.She ignored the incessant whispering of her Parjaai and focussed on the bonfire.She no longer had the right to confide in anyone for she no longer had any right over her family, especially her parjaii .

She remembered the conversation she had had earlier that day, shortly after her Parjaai had bandaged her hands.

"Parjaai ,why are you suddenly shifting to Amritsar?"

"Gurleen,the only reason I remained in Ludhiana and in this sham of a marriage was for you.I couldn't bear to leave you alone with Amrit ji and mummy , especially after what happened with Vikrant ."

"What has changed now?"

"Your marriage." Her Parjaai had replied softly,"You're getting married to a nice young man who will respect you even if love doesn't blossom between the two of you .

You'll finally be at peace.Not to mention, you'll be chairperson ,and living up to your full potential. What more could I want ?

"I thought you didn't like Jaspal ji ."

"I don't if I wish to be honest.But he is definitely better than his brother . Do you know something?I wanted to take you along with me after selling this company and everything.But I know that you're hellbent on protecting this legacy of yours and nothing will convince you otherwise.The only thing I can do now is to step back and respect your decision.

I need to leave this city Gurleen . I can never have fond memories of this place,a place where I got my heart broken over and over again.I really need to move on before I do something crazy."

She had briefly considered moving to Amritsar with her Parjaai but was acutely reminded of the blood debt she owed the Babbars.They had given her a life worth willing,a debt which could only be paid back by protecting their legacy.Ironically, the family name which was supposed to unite them had finally managed to isolate her from everyone else,once and for all.

She silently contemplated her future,watching the flames from the fire shoot higher and higher,missing the figure by the trees,watching her with the most forlorn expression in his eyes.